American Eagle Outfitters (NYSE:AEO) Stock Rating Lowered by Zacks Research

American Eagle Outfitters (NYSE:AEO) was downgraded by equities researchers at Zacks Research from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports.

Other equities analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of American Eagle Outfitters from $24.00 to $19.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of American Eagle Outfitters from an “underweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and upped their target price for the company from $14.00 to $20.00 in a research report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Bank of America increased their price target on American Eagle Outfitters from $11.00 to $18.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 3rd. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of American Eagle Outfitters from $31.00 to $35.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their price objective on American Eagle Outfitters from $23.00 to $24.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, March 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, American Eagle Outfitters currently has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $21.75.

American Eagle Outfitters Price Performance

Shares of American Eagle Outfitters stock opened at $18.15 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $3.08 billion, a PE ratio of 16.21, a PEG ratio of 1.35 and a beta of 1.39. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $24.20 and a 200 day moving average of $20.83. The company has a current ratio of 1.52, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13. American Eagle Outfitters has a 12 month low of $9.27 and a 12 month high of $28.46.

American Eagle Outfitters (NYSE:AEO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, March 4th. The apparel retailer reported $0.84 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.71 by $0.13. The business had revenue of $1.76 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.74 billion. American Eagle Outfitters had a return on equity of 16.76% and a net margin of 3.49%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.54 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that American Eagle Outfitters will post 1.7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at American Eagle Outfitters

In other news, Director Noel Joseph Spiegel sold 1,896 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $25.66, for a total value of $48,651.36. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Cary D. Mcmillan sold 1,896 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.21, for a total transaction of $49,694.16. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 8.70% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Jackson Creek Investment Advisors LLC bought a new stake in American Eagle Outfitters during the third quarter valued at about $407,000. XTX Topco Ltd raised its holdings in American Eagle Outfitters by 59.6% in the second quarter. XTX Topco Ltd now owns 108,644 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $1,045,000 after purchasing an additional 40,563 shares in the last quarter. SummerHaven Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of American Eagle Outfitters during the third quarter valued at about $1,426,000. Convergence Investment Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of American Eagle Outfitters during the third quarter valued at about $4,165,000. Finally, Savant Capital LLC boosted its holdings in shares of American Eagle Outfitters by 170.8% in the 2nd quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 41,165 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $396,000 after buying an additional 25,962 shares in the last quarter. 97.33% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

American Eagle Outfitters Company Profile

American Eagle Outfitters, Inc (NYSE: AEO) is a leading American specialty retailer offering apparel, accessories and personal care products for men and women. The company’s flagship brand, American Eagle, focuses on casualwear including denim, tops, outerwear and accessories targeted primarily at teens and young adults. In addition to its core apparel lines, the company operates the Aerie brand of intimates, loungewear and swimwear, which has gained recognition for its body-positive marketing and inclusive sizing.

American Eagle Outfitters conducts business through a combination of over 900 brick-and-mortar stores in North America and Greater China, complemented by a growing e-commerce platform that serves customers around the globe.